Holy Love

Do Not Love Always

1 John 2:15-17

God is love, but love is not God. Love is defined, described, and is shown by God. Love is to glorify God.

But the world’s ideas, thoughts, and philosophy of love can carry flakes of divine realty but distort the whole cake.

The Beatles came out with the song, “All We Need is Love.” Many artists, singers, actors, and writers teach us this and that this love… whatever this love is… is good and safe for all.

Common sayings/philosophy in this world: Love is love. It is bigger than all of us. We must follow love wherever it goes. Love is never wrong. All we need ins love. Always follow your heart. Don’t ignore your feelings...

Love is always right. Love is never wrong.

Let’s throw a truth bomb in this shall we: 1 John 2:15-17 - “Do not love the world… Love not the world. If any man loves the world… the love of the Father is not in him...

Matthew 6:24 and 1 Timothy 6:10 - Do not love money.

We are not to love some things. We are not to love the world’s system. God hates/despises/abhors this type of love.

What is this referring to? The lust of the eyes, the pride of life, self-centered, man-centered… You are devoted to the world’s treasures, the world’s philosophies, and the world’s priorities.

The wordly system: That which is set up against God, His design, His plan, purpose and desire… is to be rejected… not accepted.

If it is opposed to God, to Christ, to His will, way, truth and life… It is Anti-Christ, it is Satanic. If it is taking the place of God/Christ… It is Anti-Christ and Satanic.

If it is dulling you love for God and spiritual things… It is to be cut off, rejected, and despised… Not accepted and loved!

Are you consumed with lusts of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life?

Do you desire to have more and more of this world? Do we give all or most of all our time and resources to have more wordly treasures? Who is your treasure? Jesus or… ____?

Do you love the world’s systems, ideologies, and or philosophies that do not agree or conform to the will and desire of God?

We are to love what He loves and hates what he hates.

Proverbs 6:16-19 - There are 6 things God hates and 7 are detestable… Psalm 5:5 - God hates all evildoers. Proverbs 8:13 - God hates pride, arrogance, evil and perverted speech. Psalm 11:5 - He hates the wicked… Psalm 7:11 - God is angry with the wicked every day.

He hates what is contrary to His nature. He hates what is contrary to His will, ways, and love… as He defines it.

God’s hate is never sinful. Ours can be, but God never does. God has a perfect hatred towards evil and wickedness.

God can hate perfectly, and as soon as the sinner repents… God loves them perfectly… without sinful intent.

We are to hate and to be angry at times… But we are to do so without sinning… We are going to grow in this as we walk with Christ.

*So: We are to hate some things. We are not to love everything. We are to love God, and we are to love what He loves and hate what He hates.

We are to hate that which sets itself up against God and His good purposes. We are to cast away that which competes with our affections for Jesus.

a. The gender issue. It is ok to be angry with what is going on and to cast it down. Gender is made by God and for God… it is to glorify God...

I will not support you changing what God has called “good.” God loves the gender He gave you, and I love it too.

b. The Family. The Family is made by God and for God. God has described it and ordained it in the beginning.

I will not support another model for the family and reject God’s design, purpose and plan for the family.

God loves the family, as He designed it and I will love it to.

c. Sex - Sex is created by God and for God. God loves this expression and pro-creation method. Having sex outside the will, plan, purpose, and design of God… is not loving God.

We are to love God with our bodies. We are to have sex God’s way.

God has spoken. We love God. We show God that we love Him by giving Him our hearts and lives. This comes out through obedience to Him.

Love is defined by God and is for God’s will and purpose.

Are we loving God if we go along with this world and accept what is going on today: Transgender action and mutilation… The Family being two daddies and two mommies… married… Two people shacking up, playing mommies and daddies… without covenant before God and man???

No. We cannot love God and accept what He rejects. We cannot love what He despises and calls evil...

Do we want the world to love us, even if it means that this means going against God’s design for gender, family, and sex?

Christ says, “”Why do you call Me Lord, but you do not do what I say. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

For God so loved the world… people… that He died for us. And we are to love people as well, but we are to love people God’s way.

We are to love the Lord God with all our soul, mind and strength… and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.

There can be no fellowship with God unless we love God and love people. But do we love people God’s way?

But this world is taking that which is God’s…love... and is seeking to make it something else: A reason to disobey God.

The world will use “love” to draw you away from God, away from His Word, and you will be drawn to sin and to justify sin.

If you love someone… the world’s way… you will let them live however they want to live. If you love someone… let them be or let them do whatever their hearts lead them to do… If you love them… let them choose their identity, their gender, and let them marry whoever and what ever they want...

If you want to be at peace with the world and love it more than God… Go for it… But realize what you are doing and realize where you are: You are choosing the world over God and the love of the Father is not in you when you do this...

We need love. We are commanded to love. But we must know what love is. We must know God. We must have Truth.

God’s Truth directs us. God’s love, the way that He describes love calls us to warn, to correct, to rebuke, to fight against our own sinful desires...

God tells you to repent. Love tells you to repent… Do not go your own way, but go the way of the Lord...

I will love you. This church will love you. But we will not lie to you. We will love you… But we will not enable you. We will love you… But we will love you God’s way… And we will tell you the truth with gentleness, kindness, and with firmness.

If you are living this lifestyle… You should not be in ministry. If you are living this lifestyle… You cannot become a member of a local church...

We are not going to make you feel like you belong in the family of God… Because God makes it clear: This is evidence that you do not belong to the family of God.

Those who live these lifestyle will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

We are not going to prop you up for hell.

That would be unloving...

We will love you… But I cannot support your lifestyle. I will love you, counsel with you… but you are not joing the church until you repent...

I love you; we will talk, we will counsel, I will feed you and clothe you and pray for you… but… “I am not going to your wedding, and cast my approval.”

I love God and I love you too much to do this!

(The story of V. Tillery and son - Led to repentance)

Homosexuals are being saved and delivered. Transgenders are being saved ad they are being delivered.

I have received articles of homosexual couples breaking free, separating, getting married and having families...

People are being delivered

But you are not helping them to come to the Savior, to be delivered… If you are enabling them and excusing their behavior...

We love God. The world is passing away and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever...

Who do you love? Count the cost.

The world is going to despise you for calling it out and rejecting their ways.

People are going to hate you for telling them God’s will and truth. They will get mad for you holding them accountable, and telling them they are going in the wrong direction...

Who do we want to be accepted by? Who do we want to be loved by… the most?

As Christians, may we love God… and love God’s way.

Pray:

For those who are loving the world more than God, who are filled with the lust of the flesh, of the eyes, and the pride of life...

Pray for Christians to be delivered from the world’s deception of what love is.

Pray for boldness to stand firm in our generation and love God’s way… no matter what.

Close.